Daily stories from Middletown's 366-Year History

1916: Refused to See Sights of City

Middletown (Conn.) Business Man Was Never Interested.

Resident Twelve Years.

Although Healthy, He Never Saw Wesleyan College or State Hospital Buildings and Only Once Went to Postoffice–His Reason Was He Wasn’t Much of a Traveler.

Middletown, Conn.– Alpheus W. Parsons, who some years since conducted a cigar store and news stand on Main street, south of Rapallo avenue, for more than a dozen years, died at the home of his sister-in-law in Easthampton, Mass., recently. In some respects Mr. Parsons was one of the most unusual business men on Main street. During his long business career in this city he went to the postoffice just once. He never in all the time he resided in Middletown went below the postoffice building on Main street. And yet Mr. Parsons was ablebodied and a normal man in every way.

He often laughed and said that he wasn’t much of a traveler. And his son, Bert, who usually had a pleasant twinkle lurking about the eyes, would look up at the old man when some one was in the store and ask soberly, “Goin’ down to the postoffice today, pop?” But that journey to the postoffice was taken only once, and why he went then Mr. Parsons never could tell.

He simply wasn’t interested in what the rest of the world was doing. When the west side trolley was built Bert said, “Now’s your chance, pop, to hop on the trolley and get a look at the college buildings.”

“Well, I guess I won’t try it today, Bert,” answered the old man, as though he really was afraid that he would have to be absent from his business long enough to see Middletown.

But he never tried it any day. Mr. Parsons never saw Wesleyan college nor the state hospital nor Main street below the postoffice. The only streets in Middletown he was ever on were Main and Grand and Clinton and Rapallo avenues. And yet he was a successful business man and walked back and forth from his house on Clinton avenue to his store on Main street every business day in the year. Try as he would his son Bert could not budge the old man. He didn’t care what the rest of the world was doing. He was not a traveler–and that ended it.

Still Mr. Parsons was the kindliest of men. He was interested in his fellows He was patriotic; he was upright; he was just in his judgments; he spoke kindly of every one and everything that was of good repute. He talked intelligently and interestingly, and when one knew him he was a delightful companion.